


'Friendly' Competition

by Marudny_Robot



Series: 90's Young Justice Marudny_Robot's works series [9]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Batfamily (DCU), Don't copy to another site, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Misunderstandings, Not Beta Read, Protective Batfamily (DCU), when your friends compete with your family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26202919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marudny_Robot/pseuds/Marudny_Robot
Summary: writing prompt: Tim made the mistake of sneezing at both the manor and at Titan's tower. With word out that he's got no spleen, the batfam and the titans have turned "taking care of an ailing Tim" into a competition.
Relationships: Bart Allen & Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent & Cassie Sandsmark, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Tam Fox
Series: 90's Young Justice Marudny_Robot's works series [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553740
Comments: 10
Kudos: 159





	'Friendly' Competition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angel_gidget](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_gidget/gifts).



> 3rd prompt send by dear angel_gidget is done! \o/ (only one left)  
> Hope you will have fun reading and let me know what you think it!

“ _Achoo!_ ”

“Are you alright, Red?” Raven asked, surprised at the sudden noise. Rest of the team had varying degrees of worry painted on their faces.

Red Robin waved her in ‘not to worry gesture’, ignoring the rest.

“Everything’s all right. The air was weird, that’s all,” he explained. “So, going back to mission objectives….”

“Air was...weird?”

Red sighed, realizing that if he wanted to finish this meeting withing his schedule (and oh god, if it were the case he would have time for _a nap_ ), he would have end this conversation now.

He locked eyes with the Titan who dared to ask additional question. He wasn’t glaring, and definitely not bat-glaring, but he was unnervingly staring, with lenses of his mask hiding his eyes form the rest.

After agonizing unnerving minute of silence and Red’s bird-like thousand mile stare dedicated on one person, Tim slowly looked at each one of them before going back to the first offender.

“Yes. Weird,” he sad slowly and clearly. “As in surprisingly _different_ from Gotham’s air, recently full of joker gas.”

The others cringed, realizing their faux pas. Everything related to Joker was always a sore subject to any of the Bats, and Tim _had just_ came to San Fran from Gotham.

Bart glanced at Cassie and Conner, catching them glancing at him and each other. They’ve been hearing all about Joker’s latest escape from Tim and all the ways he was trying to catch him and other criminals while at it.

The trio also remembered Tim mentioning almost drowning nearby Gotham’s docks, as their brow raises and questioning gazes indicated.

Red Robin wasn’t looking at others as he gathered the materials and started the debriefing from the beginning, this time without any obtrusion. He wanted to finish this quickly, considering that right from under mission-debrief paperwork was peeking his WE one.

During the whole debriefing his face didn’t changed, however, inwardly, he congratulated himself on successful diversion.

* * *

“ _Achoo!_ ”

“Master Timothy?”

“It’s alright, Alfred!”

Alfred exchanged a look with the other occupant in the room, Damian, who was currently in the process of moving the boxes out of this room.

“If you say so, Master Timothy. However, I suggest you help Master Damian with his work.”

Damian bristled.

“I’m capable of moving everything here to the attic by myself, Pennyworth!”

Tim snorted at Damian, clearly seeing that the kid felt as his pride was wounded. “You heard him Alfred, he’s _capable_.” Without any other form of comment he continued to wash the windows high up.

Alfred also wasn’t moved by Damian’s outburst.

“I’m not denying you are perfect at this job, Master Damian,” he started so the younger boy would look at him. When he did, Alfred pointed at Tim, currently washing the opened windows. “I would prefer, however, if you let your brother do your job, while you help me with the windows.”

“Wait, Alfred, what-”

Damian laughed, finally understanding what Pennyworth implied. He put down the box he planned to move just before and turned to Alfred, his demeanor completely changed.

“Why, of course, Pennyworth! After all, we wouldn’t want Drake here to drop dead at the little breeze.”

“I would show you dropping dead, baby demon!”

“Master Timothy! Please get down here and change with Master Damian.”

“But Alfred-”

Damian was laughing at him, enjoying the show.

Alfred stubbornly waited, his face showing he didn’t have patience for childish games. And so, Tim, grumbling all the way, got down.

Silently, he took the box which Damian had just put down, and resigned went on with his new job, not realizing Damian and Alfred were exchanging satisfied glance behind him.

* * *

The dinner time at Titans Tower was unusually peaceful. Normally, at the simple mention of one of them to maybe cook something, they would hear their usual alarms blaring at top volume. And when they finally got to be back (stopping few additional crimes, after the big monster one), they all were usually too tired to do more than just shower and sleep.

Basically, there was a reason there was a sheet of paper with numbers to their favorite restaurants and diners on a fridge.

So, unusually peaceful time and boredom made the Titans _dare_. And halfway through preparation they still couldn’t believe nothing was truly happening that needed their immediate attention.

Cassie was the one currently stirring the pot, while Bart was coming out and in bringing whatever ingredients they came up they would need. Kon was in the room with them, sitting besides the kitchen table and doing his homework for the week.

Soon later they were joined by Tim.

Tim sat opposite to Kon besides the kitchen table. He put the tablet in front of him and went back to work, rest barely sparing him a glance.

However Bart was getting a little bored. Kon too, actually.

“So, Tim? New look?”

Tim looked up from tablet at Kon “What?”

“New look, _Red_ Robin?” Kon pointed at Tim’s chest.

Tim glanced down, thinking what Kon was pointing at and seeing only his sweater and- oh!

Tim snorted, pulling his brown sweater's front so Cassie and Bart could also see three yellow chicks embroiled on it.

Joking with Kon, he replied, “Well, I told you I was thinking about changing the suit.”

“And what, now you are going with Brown Robin?” Cassie joined them in joking. And scrunched her nose. “Is it just me or it sounds like something Robin number 4 would call herself?”

“ _Please_ ,” Tim replied with his higher-class voice “if anything it would be _Eggplant Robin._ ”

Kon snorted. “Because that sounds better.”

“Why are we stuck on robins, anyway?”

“You suggest we call ourselves after other birds?” Tim answered while Kon at the same time asked, “Aren’t you all _bats_?”

“So what, Kon?”

“No,butTimandCassieareright!” Bart said, after he finally stopped being in awe of little birds on Tim’s sweater. “There are other _way cooler_ sounding names than ’robin’!” He caught Tim by his shoulders and continued. “Tim! _Rob,myman,Timothy_ …. Just think of all the chaos if you would call yourself _Drake._ ”

All were silent, thinking over Bart’s suggestion.

“Umm...” Tim broke the silence. “Maybe not?”

“But _whynot???_ ”

“Don’t you think using my own surname sounds kinda stupid, Bart?”

“Well it’s not my fault you have cool sounding surname! You should use it! Face it, Rob, but – for example – _Allen –_ doesn’t make enemies shit themselves like _’Drake’_ does.”

“I think Bart might be right”

“ _You too,_ _Cassie_ _?_ Isn’t secret identity – something different than your civilian one – something of must have for superheroes–?”

“Um, _no?”_

“–Wouldn’t that be going against that?”

“I mean, people are aware that Diana Prince, ambassador of Themyscyra, is Wonder Woman? Same for Arthur Curry?”

“ _Thankyou,Cassie!_ ”

“No, but listen, Rob-!”

“ _They are different??_ ”

“Youaredifferent,Rob”

“And how so??”

“JEEZ, Guys! Listen!”

Silently, they all turned to Conner.

“Look at it this way, Rob. No-one outside capes – and still not all of them – know your secret id, right? So, not many people will laugh at you.”

“ _That’s_ _reassuring_ _”_

“ _Shush!_ I’ve not finished! To all the people not in the know _Drake_ sounds actually badass.”

“Iknow,right!”

“ _And!_ If you were to use it as your field codename, rather than ‘Red’, others would have to use it, too.”

“Because I want people to use my real name when I’m not in civics. _Of course.”_

“ _But see! There’s where the genius is!_ Your family would use it as codename. _All Bats_ would use it as a new codename!”

Tim stared at him, irritated. “Your point being?”

“Considering _Drake_ would be your codename, everyone would have to refer to you as _Tim_ , when you are in civics.”

Tim raised his eyebrow, still not seeing the point.

“Damian would have to call you _Tim_ or _Timothy_ outside of masks.”

“ _You evil genius!_ ”

“Oh, stop it. You are gonna make me blush.”

“CerfullSupes, your Luthor is showing.”

Ignoring the boys, Cassie turned back to the stove. Their dinner should be ready soon, and with the whole conversation just finished they had a chance to put some food in Tim this time.

She turned back to them, not having to constantly observe the pot. From her place she could see bunch of papers on a kitchen desk behind Red. Considering the quantity and that they weren’t here in the first place, she guessed they belonged to Bart.

“Hey, Bart?”

That got all of the boys looking at her.

She only pointed with her thumb at the papers. Bart at first didn’t seem to recognize them. Kon had a chance to see them, while Tim – who were sitting back to papers – didn’t have time to turn before Bart remembered and took them away.

“What are those?” Tim asked

“Plans!” Bart shouted, barely hiding them behind his back. “ _Evil plans!”_ He added and sprinted inside the Tower.

“Should we be worried?”

“Nah,” Kon said, still looking where Bart had gone to. He exchanged glance with Cassie, before going back to his homework. “Please, only _I_ am predisposed to be doing evil plans. Bart’s good.”

Tim couldn’t decipher their exchange, but decided to drop the subject.

“Well, if you say so.”

* * *

“Timmy! Finally!” Dick shouted when he saw his brother. “Where the hell have you been?!”

“Sorry, sorry! Got something to talk over in R&D – I’m not that late, am I?”

“What the hell, are you wearing?”

“Bruce?”

Both boys looked at their father, then at themselves. Dick looked at Tim from head to toes, noting that at least this time his little bro wore weather appropriate clothes. But besides that he couldn’t see what may have irked Bruce.

“I- Sorry, Tim. Just, I don’t think I saw you wearing these when you left for office.”

“ _OH_ , no. _No_ , you are right! I just got these from Bart. Well – the cap, scarf and gloves. The sweater is from Cassie. I really don’t know why they decided to make them and give today of all days, than wait till weekend, but they were pretty adamant I wear those.

Unbeknownst to Tim, Dick and Bruce were exchanging glances. It wasn’t the first time the Titans suddenly came giving Tim warm clothes, while someone from the family were witnessing this. Probably wouldn’t be the last.

They were happy that Tim was willingly wearing warm clothing, but Titans were as good as giving them a challenge.

“Ah, I see...” Bruce replied.

This for now seemed to calm Tim down and put away some of his suspicion. However, considering his 3rd son, Tim might think it was unacceptable in Bruce’s mind to have gifts from his Titans friends.

Well, it was… kinda… but for completely different reasons Tim might have thought.

The Wayne function, for which all three of them were supposed to be present went without a hitch. Normally, only Tim would have gone to it, however, Dick volunteered and promised that he would accompany Tim there (and hopefully mend some of the relationship that seemed to be broken).

Damian was visiting Jon on the farm and Stephanie was visiting Cass in Hong Kong. But PR demanded other people besides Tim there.

_Ok_ , they practically demanded Bruce comes here. And when they showed media coverage from earlier functions besides Gala, Bruce not only finally understood their demand, but also felt ashamed.

On one hand, it was good to see that his son could represent their company without a hitch. On the other, he was just a young man and… shit. Even Bruce had Alfred behind him in his age.

So now, during opening of new ice-skate ring in Gotham (financed by Martha Wayne Foundation, of course), Tim, Bruce and Dick were representing their company, Foundation and family.

And while Bruce and Dick might see this as an opportunity to spend time together – just three of them like some time ago – Tim (Bruce realized sadly) might see that as a job.

That’s why, after formal opening was finished, he took them from one food stand to another. And while they were stuffing their faces with vendor food, he asked Tim.

“What do you say, we work on your new project? I had few ideas that might be of use to you.”

“You mean _the_ project? _Project_ project?”

“The one, you signed with your last name, yes. Have you thought about color scheme? I understand you would like to visit your friends during the weekend, but I thought we might work sometime during the week, when Damian’s in school?”

* * *

“Finally! I don’t want to see or feel any weird monster gooze for at least a year!”

Kon cleared his face from green gooze with his hand. “You and me both, WG.”

Besides them Red – or rather _Drake_ now – moaned in pain, as he stretched his arms.

“I agree with you, don’t get me wrong,” Bart paused and vibrated quickly, getting rid of monster gooze from him, but accidentally throwing it on his friends. “But based on my calculation, _with my formula that you were ridiculing just yesterday_ , another gooze monster would be sometimewithin4-7weeks.”

Bart looked up from his costume at his friends, when the silence stretched for too long.

“What?” he asked, honestly confused, when he met them glaring at him. “Maybe instead of glaring you would want to get cleaned?”

The collective glare was even more intimidating.

“ _Whatnow?_ ”

“Leave him,” Cassie ordered. “Shower’s priority. And warm clothes. And then food and making Tim take his meds...”

“Hey!”

“But, Cassie’s right. Weren’t you thrown into a bay? Aren’t you cold?”

“Well, no?”

Bart, Cassie and Kon didn’t believe him.

“I mean – _yes_ , I was thrown into a bay, but _no_ , I am not cold? This new suit has new awesome waterproofing technology, and I can safely say that that field test went spectacular!”

“ _DamnRob_ , what we have said about you field testing during missions?”

“What Bart said – but I’m partial to leaving that to after dinner.”

“When did you have time to make a suit anyway? When I visited you, you said you were busy working with Batman?”

“That’s because I was working with B on the suit?”

The trio of Tim’s friends exchanged glances.

“You. Working with B… on your new suit?”

“Yes? How’s that strange? You guys know, he helped me modify Robin suit in the first place, right?”

“Yeah.. but...”

“SinceyouwentRed on us, you were quite _adamant_ you were the only one to make your own stuff?”

“And hardly contacted other Bats for that??”

“Yeah!That,exactly!”

“Oh...well, you see,” Tim looked a little sheepish. “B offered to help? And we have been working together for few weeks now.. And as much I can swear I would only use my designs, some of his had potential and so we spend additional time modifying them to my liking, and before you were aware what was going on, we were thinking about how to make this suit and Batman’s new suit flying without your help, and it took another few weeks to even think about some good design...”

Tim was looking everywhere but not at his friends, feeling somewhat embarrassed recounting his last months working with Bruce.

Cassie looked surprised, but was listening intently. Kon’s mouth formed a thing line and he kept glancing at Cassie and Bart. Bart was the only one who looked back at him, arms crossed in front of his chest and tapping index finger on one arm constantly.

Tim, not aware of their reactions, continued talking about how he and his dad spend time perfecting his new _Drake_ suit.

* * *

After another successful patrol, instead of going to Batcave or their own places, they all went to Tim’s Nest in Crime Alley.

And by _they_ , it meant Dick, Jason, Steph, Cass and Tim. It was “Bat’s Brood” meeting without the youngest and the newest, because Damian and Duke needed some time with Bruce to _guide_ them. The older bunch? They needed Bruce to stop nagging them for a while.

Someone grabbed beers. Someone else called for take-out. It was _‘wine and whine’_ type of a night, and everyone made themselves cozy in Tim’s home.

“Glad to know, you finally decided for appropriate décor, Replacement,” Jason commented, while starting to being one with the spacious couch. “The colors are still jarring, thought.”

“Well, I happened to like it,” Tim deadpans. “Close your eyes if you can’t so much look at those.”

“Are you telling me, I can crash at your place?”

“Hey!” Steph added from the ground where she started making pillow fort. “At least it full of pillows, blankets and quilts, instead of that spartan bullshit he had!”

“Yeah, more the reasons to crash here...”

“You too, Steph?”

“Cozy,” Cass adds and smiles innocently at her brother. “Suits you better.”

Tim didn’t buy that innocent look from her.

“You are not going to steal my things!”

Cass chuckled.

“It’s dare?”

“It’s _a threat.”_

Dick looked up from the fort he was making with Steph. “Timmy?”

“Yeah?”

“How come you ended up with all of those in the first place? Whenever Alfred or I tried to give you something, it usually ended up holed in some wardrobe.”

“Hey! It was holed up, because I didn’t want to destroy it or something! Not because I didn’t like those!”

“And you don’t mind destroying those?”

“No, it’s just...”

Everyone was silent, waiting for Tim’s answer.

Tim, realizing that he had their whole attention, became even more embarrassed.

“It’s just… _It’s BART,_ _ok?!_ Some time ago Bart decided to learn how to crochet, and knit, and all of that and then make all those blankets, quilts, _sweaters_ and whatnot and he didn’t had anywhere else to put it all and thought that I could use some of those and he just dumped all his 4000 projects here...”

“FOUR THOUSANDS?” Jason looked up from his place. “There’s more?!”

“I mean, this whole room was full with those..”

“Where are you hiding those?!” Stephanie excitedly asked and demanded. “Bring them here!”

Tim sighed, but went downstairs to get more of pleads and pillows and whatever Bart made and gave him.

In the meantime, when Tim wasn’t looking, the four guests exchanged glances.

Cass laughed with her eyes, Steph rolled hers, but she also seemed amused. Jason squinted his eyes, and – after they all showed what they thought – he made a fist with one hand and ‘punch’ his other open hand with it.

Cass and Steph snickered. Dick mouthed out ‘later’.

* * *

Lunchtime for Tam Fox and Tim Drake meant _“finally, some break”_.

Although it wasn’t a long break, they learned how to get most of it. For example, right now, they were eating their lunches while holed in Tim’s office, to not waste time on walking to and from cafeteria.

Still, they ended up finishing some simple works in between the bites.

“So, Boss?” Tam broke the silence, when she finished reading another document. “You never told me what happened with those kittens you found earlier?”

“Oh, those? Took them to the shelter Damian volunteers in.”

“Not giving your brother any more pets?”

“ _Nope_. Little gremlin has enough of them already.” Tim took a bite of his food. “By the way, I think I might be allergic to some fur or something? I don’t know, I’ve been sneezing for the rest of the day after I came from there to the Manor.”

“Maybe it was dust? You said Mr Pennyworth wanted you help with the cleaning, right?”

“ _Or!_ It was Damian.”

“ _Please_ , no more ‘ _I’m allergic to brats’_ rhetoric…”

“It’s actually _‘I’m allergic to this brat attitude_ ’, but _nah_ , it wasn’t it. We met at the shelter – he was working at that time – and then I gave him a ride home.”

“… you know? In a sense, you gave your younger brother new pets, in the end.”

Tim paused eating and thought about what happened. “...shit, you are right.”

“I’m always right, Boss.”

“That’s why I pay you! Besides, at least that way Bruce and Alfred won’t be mad and Damian would visit the kittens whenever he’s working?”

Tam nodded, chewing on her sandwich.

“Change of topic: how’s your shopping trip with your sister?” This time Tim was asking.

“Good. Uneventful.”

“Boring! Not even a ninja?”

“Not a single one,” Tam stated, stone faced. “It was a _beautiful_ and _uneventful_ day in Gotham City, _and_ you are a _horrible duck_ for suggesting that _ninja_ should have been there.”

Tim, smartly, didn’t try to speak more about this.”

Tam continued.

“Besides, I haven’t found the perfume I was looking for. I found those I was using last time, but I can’t use them for work, because _someone_ has been sneezing when smelling them.”

“I said I was sorry!”

Tam exhaled. “Just forget it. At least Tiffany found something she liked. And! I got new purse!”

“Nice. That’s the new one?”

“Yup! And how was your weekend?”

“Eventful. And now I remembered that someone from the team also uses the sneezing-inducing perfume.”

“They are only sneezing-inducing for you. Have you found who’s the culprit?”

“ _Not yet_. There was this whole attack with robot-ducks going on….”

“I bet, that the wearer is someone who wanted to get away from you.”

“That would imply that that someone knew I sneeze when I feel them. Also – are you saying you were wearing them to get rid of me?”

“Well, I sometimes have enough of your vigilante-angst, so….”

“ _Hey!_ ”

“Tell me more about those robot-ducks?”

Tim sighed, before recounting one of the weirder Titan mission in the recent month.

“So, it all happened when….”


End file.
